Garnet sets down the now sleeping girl, wiping the last tears from her eyes
as she trembles, visible even now. Noticing for the first time the chains
thoroughly pressed around her, she shakes her head. "How could anyone do
this to a child," She wonders out loud as Zidane, Eiko, Steiner, and Freya
walk in. Vivi gets up from the stool in the corner where he wasted until he
could caste his sleep spell, coming over with the rest to look at the
sleeping, shaking youth. "To tell a child such lies, hurt them so much that
they're scared to death of people trying to help them?" Her hand gently
smoothes Catalina's short hair, noting the distinct dark streaks among the
brilliant yellow. The tail, tied with the same chains that go around her
chest and holds her arms in place, has the same coloring, the hair sticking
out straight.
"I know. She was struggling more than Clara did. It's as if she was more than scared to death; she was also desperate. And having also recently recovered from magical exhaustion; last time I saw you magically exhausted, you could barely stand up for a week. She, meanwhile, is fighting like a maniac, and staying up till all hours." Zidane tenderly gazes at the girl, short for her age, as she gradually relaxes into sleep. Her muscles were so tense before you can actually see them gradually relax, the hair on her tail slowly settling down until it once more covers it securely.
"Remember, Queen Garnet and King Zidane," Reminds Steiner with his average formality, "Treat her as you would any other prisoner." Zidane nods, and leaves the room, muttering about steering the ship.
"It's strange," Confesses Freya, watching as Garnet wipes away the last of the tears that fell from her eyes, the ones she had been holding back. "Months, years without any idea, without a trace, and suddenly we get to see, hear, talk to both of them. Then, before we even realize we have either, one goes away and the other is unmasked. It seems to strange, too unusual to be true. Like it was planned, almost." Garnet nods at this, knowing what she means. They both then leave the room.
Eiko, getting out her tools to implant the small metal chip with a tracking spell on it, silently agrees. Looking down at her cousin, her first thoughts are that she looks so young. But she's older than Eiko was when she saved the world from Kuja.
Kuja. How she hates him. He destroyed her life, killed all her family. Out loud, she agreed with Zidane when he said Kuja was really a nice person, and with Garnet when she was told to remember him sympathetically. Inside, however, she curses his name. He killed all her family in some way or another, and even took away her best friend ever, Mog.
Shaking herself from these thoughts, she leans over, knife in hand, and begins to cut.
~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~
Swimming steadily forward, I take the time to wonder just how I'll approach Uncle. He's not the type you just walk up to and accuse, not if you want to live. I'm still convinced he did not fight against us at full strength. He, instead, coddled us along patiently, giving us false hope for his twisted cause. Remembering the people I killed, some barely older than myself, I feel no regret: What's done is done. I can only hope to repent by killing the one who told me it was right, by stopping his gradual manipulation of others. And, by admitting my sin, repent in it, learn from it.
Now, on to the question of what to say. If I accuse him outright, an Ultima will have me on my knees instantly. Another, and I'll be rendered helpless without having attacked once, an easy victim. I COULD take the roundabout route, telling him I came by to talk about our progress, but he sees through lies in an instant. And I want to confront him about what he's done.
So I take the direct route: Charge in, daggers flashing, attacking like a crazed ninja, until he's on his last leg. Then I ask him, and once he tells me, kill him.
`~What if he expects that?~` Asks an innocent, not very familiar but recognizable voice in my head. The summon Kikirya.
'He won't' I tell it.
`~And if he does?~` It asks me, driving me to near insanity. Ahead I can see the edge of the forgotten continent.
'Shut up Kikirya.'
`~I'm sorry, am I bothering you?~`
'Immensely.'
`~Please accept my apologies, but I think you must wonder this.`~
'You don't have to be so damn polite.'
`~ Geezum, will you relax for a sec? I'm trying really hard to be nice!~`
'It's not working.'
`~Well, don't say I didn't warn you.~`
Great. NOW how will I get confident enough to face him?
~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~
Eika: Nice, short little chappy.
Clara: Sister bugged you so much you actually put the firebird in it again?
Eika: Yup. Still, I have plans for Kikirya, eventually.
Clara: She's gonna save my life, isn't she?
Eika: No. She'll be really annoying and call you lots of rude names after you get into a heated argument with her, but you consider it better than being bored to death.
Clara: Please tell me that's not until the sequel.
Eika: It isn't. Review!
"I know. She was struggling more than Clara did. It's as if she was more than scared to death; she was also desperate. And having also recently recovered from magical exhaustion; last time I saw you magically exhausted, you could barely stand up for a week. She, meanwhile, is fighting like a maniac, and staying up till all hours." Zidane tenderly gazes at the girl, short for her age, as she gradually relaxes into sleep. Her muscles were so tense before you can actually see them gradually relax, the hair on her tail slowly settling down until it once more covers it securely.
"Remember, Queen Garnet and King Zidane," Reminds Steiner with his average formality, "Treat her as you would any other prisoner." Zidane nods, and leaves the room, muttering about steering the ship.
"It's strange," Confesses Freya, watching as Garnet wipes away the last of the tears that fell from her eyes, the ones she had been holding back. "Months, years without any idea, without a trace, and suddenly we get to see, hear, talk to both of them. Then, before we even realize we have either, one goes away and the other is unmasked. It seems to strange, too unusual to be true. Like it was planned, almost." Garnet nods at this, knowing what she means. They both then leave the room.
Eiko, getting out her tools to implant the small metal chip with a tracking spell on it, silently agrees. Looking down at her cousin, her first thoughts are that she looks so young. But she's older than Eiko was when she saved the world from Kuja.
Kuja. How she hates him. He destroyed her life, killed all her family. Out loud, she agreed with Zidane when he said Kuja was really a nice person, and with Garnet when she was told to remember him sympathetically. Inside, however, she curses his name. He killed all her family in some way or another, and even took away her best friend ever, Mog.
Shaking herself from these thoughts, she leans over, knife in hand, and begins to cut.
~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~
Swimming steadily forward, I take the time to wonder just how I'll approach Uncle. He's not the type you just walk up to and accuse, not if you want to live. I'm still convinced he did not fight against us at full strength. He, instead, coddled us along patiently, giving us false hope for his twisted cause. Remembering the people I killed, some barely older than myself, I feel no regret: What's done is done. I can only hope to repent by killing the one who told me it was right, by stopping his gradual manipulation of others. And, by admitting my sin, repent in it, learn from it.
Now, on to the question of what to say. If I accuse him outright, an Ultima will have me on my knees instantly. Another, and I'll be rendered helpless without having attacked once, an easy victim. I COULD take the roundabout route, telling him I came by to talk about our progress, but he sees through lies in an instant. And I want to confront him about what he's done.
So I take the direct route: Charge in, daggers flashing, attacking like a crazed ninja, until he's on his last leg. Then I ask him, and once he tells me, kill him.
`~What if he expects that?~` Asks an innocent, not very familiar but recognizable voice in my head. The summon Kikirya.
'He won't' I tell it.
`~And if he does?~` It asks me, driving me to near insanity. Ahead I can see the edge of the forgotten continent.
'Shut up Kikirya.'
`~I'm sorry, am I bothering you?~`
'Immensely.'
`~Please accept my apologies, but I think you must wonder this.`~
'You don't have to be so damn polite.'
`~ Geezum, will you relax for a sec? I'm trying really hard to be nice!~`
'It's not working.'
`~Well, don't say I didn't warn you.~`
Great. NOW how will I get confident enough to face him?
~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~*^~
Eika: Nice, short little chappy.
Clara: Sister bugged you so much you actually put the firebird in it again?
Eika: Yup. Still, I have plans for Kikirya, eventually.
Clara: She's gonna save my life, isn't she?
Eika: No. She'll be really annoying and call you lots of rude names after you get into a heated argument with her, but you consider it better than being bored to death.
Clara: Please tell me that's not until the sequel.
Eika: It isn't. Review!
